By naming Magic Mike’s sequel Magic Mike XXL, filmmakers set some lofty expectations for what the film would bring. Not wanting to disappoint audiences, the producers made a few changes in order to make XXL, well, bigger than the original. One of these changes was the addition to the cast of Stephen Boss, also known as tWitch, best known for appearing on So You Think You Can Dance Season 4. But who does tWitch play in Magic Mike XXL ? The dancer announced in October 2014 that he had joined the XXL cast after being invited by Channing Tatum, who was impressed with his body of work (no pun intended), but as for who he was going to play, little info was known at the time.
Now, however, much more has been revealed, and it's pretty exciting stuff. In the new movie, tWitch plays Malik, a dancer at Jada Pinkett Smith’s club, Domina, and while stripping may be new territory for the star, being on camera certainly isn’t. The 32-year-old has a wealth of performance experience, starting with his appearance on the show Star Search in 2003. tWitch then was a contestant on The Wade Robson Project, placing third. In addition to his television appearances, he also worked as a choreographer for artists such as Se7en and appeared as a dancer in movies like Hairspray and Blades of Glory. He rose to fame, however, with his impressive run on the fourth season of So You Think You Can Dance, and since then has both acted and danced in multiple film and television features, such as the Step Up franchise and Bones. Check him out on Star Search, below:
Yet while tWitch may be the only professional dancer in the cast of XXL, the other cast members are certainly no couch potatoes. Joe Manganiello was a star athlete in his youth, playing basketball, volleyball and football. In fact, it wasn’t until a football injury in high school that Manganiello, who plays Richie in the film, shifted his focus from athletics to acting. Adam Rodriguez, Tito in XXL, has a similar story; he had aspired to be a professional baseball player until he, too, suffered an injury and discovered a passion for acting instead.
Then there's Kevin Nash (Tarzan), who, if you weren’t aware, IS a professional athlete. He made his pro-wrestling debut in 1990 and then started collecting championship titles with the same aggressiveness with which I collected Beanie Babies during those years. In 2015, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Lest we forget, star Channing Tatum is also incredibly athletic. He excelled at multiple sports in his youth and was voted “Most Athletic” in high school. Tatum even received a scholarship to play football in college, but dropped out and later began working as a stripper — which, of course, was the inspiration for Magic Mike. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I’m grateful for the movies that came about as a result, and I applaud Tatum’s decision to bring on a professional dancer for the sequel. I can’t wait to see how Magic Mike XXL revives the original crew and kicks it up a notch with the addition of tWitch in the gang.
Image: Warner Bros; Giphy
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